Agriculture: Global Food Security

The Lord Bishop of Derby: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of climate change on global food security.

Baroness Northover: The Government's Foresight Report on the Future of Food and Farming explored the increasing pressures on the global food system between now and 2050. This included an assessment of the impact of climate change on food security. DfID has also undertaken a systematic review of research evidence on the projected impacts of climate change on food crop productivity in Africa and South Asia.
	Further assessment on the impact of climate change on food security was made in the business case to provide a grant of £150 million from the UK's International Climate Fund to the International fund for Agriculture Development's Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme. DfID support to the programme will help six million smallholder farmers respond to climate change. The business case will shortly be published online.

Apprenticeships

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many apprenticeships for young people there have been in each year from 2005 until the last year for which records are available in (1) each of the English regions, (2) Scotland and (3) Wales.

Lord Marland: Table 1 shows the number of apprenticeship programme starts by those aged under 19 by English region. Final data are shown for the 2005-06 to 2010-11 academic years and provisional data are shown for the 2011-12 academic year.
	Provisional data for the 2011-12 academic year provide an early view of performance and will change as further data returns are received from further education colleges and providers. They should not be directly compared with final year data from previous years. Figures for 2011-12 will be finalised in January 2013.
	The department does not collect further education information relating to the devolved Administrations.
	
		
			 Table 1: Apprenticeship Programme Starts for those aged under 19 by Region, 2005-06 to 2011-12 (Provisional) 
			 Region 2005-06 (Final) 2006-07 (Final) 2007-08 (Final) 2008-09 (Final) 2009-10 (Final) 2010-11 (Final) 2011-12 (Provisional) 
			 North East 8,500 8,450 8,290 8,030 9,040 11,070 9,200 
			 North West 17,660 18,670 18,540 16,360 20,840 23,800 20,470 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 13,830 14,800 15,450 14,850 15,930 16,760 17,430 
			 East Midlands 9,490 10,030 10,900 9,640 10,850 11,840 11,690 
			 West Midlands 11,450 11,370 11,490 11,340 13,590 15,690 15,220 
			 East of England 8,570 9,130 9,820 8,560 10,170 12,160 11,940 
			 London 6,060 5,980 6,100 6,100 7,880 10,620 10,390 
			 South East 12,470 14,110 13,820 12,770 14,530 15,720 15,980 
			 South West 10,160 11,670 11,680 10,560 12,620 12,850 12,700 
			 Other 1,350 1,410 1,470 1,160 1,320 1,180 1,310 
			 England Total 99,500 105,600 107,600 99,400 116,800 131,700 126,300 
		
	
	Source: Individualised Learner Record
	Notes
	1. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10 except for the overall total which is rounded to the nearest 100.
	2. Age is calculated based on age at start of programme.
	3. Regional breakdowns are based upon the home postcode of the learner. 'Other' includes some postcodes outside of England and unknown postcodes.
	4. Figures are based on the geographic boundaries as of May 2010.
	5. Provisional data for 2011-12 should not be directly compared with data for earlier years.
	Information on the number of apprenticeship starts by geography is published in a supplementary table to a quarterly Statistical First Release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 11 October 2012:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk-statistics-statisticalfirstrelease-sfr_current
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk-statistics-statisticalfirstrelease-sfr_supplementary_tables-Apprenticeship_sfr_supplementary_tables-.

Armed Forces: Medals

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by the Prime Minister on 31 October (Official Report, col. 229-230) that Sir John Holmes was conducting a review into the award of the Ushakov medal to Arctic convoy veterans, when they expect that report to be concluded; and when a decision will be made about the award of the Ushakov medal to veterans.

Lord Newby: Sir John Holmes is not conducting a specific review into the award of the Ushakov Medal to Arctic Convoy veterans. However, in his Military Medals Review published on 17 July 2012 and available at: www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/military- medals-review-report-sir-john-holmes, Sir John Holmes made a number of recommendations, including that there should be a fresh look at the policy on the acceptance of medals from another country. The Government have invited Sir John to undertake further work to implement his recommendations. This review is being completed in stages, with some of the most pressing cases (including the issue of whether those who participated in the Arctic Convoys should be considered for a UK medal) considered first; this first stage is expected to be completed later this year.

Banks: Iceland

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether terms have now been agreed with Iceland for the repayment of funds due to HM Treasury in respect of deposits placed with Icelandic banks by United Kingdom depositors; and what were the terms of the loan.

Lord Sassoon: Negotiations with Iceland over the terms of a loan agreement are currently suspended, pending the outcome of proceedings by the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Surveillance Authority against Iceland in the EFTA Court, in respect of Iceland's legal obligations to UK and Dutch depositors under the EU Deposit Guarantee Directive.

Banks: Money Laundering

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Financial Services Authority is examining money laundering by HSBC in Mexico.

Lord Sassoon: The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is the regulator for financial institutions in the UK. HSBC's operations in Mexico are not incorporated or authorised in the UK and are, therefore, not under the FSA's supervisory jurisdiction. However, the FSA maintains regular dialogue with the other regulatory authorities in relation to their investigations into the HSBC Group.

Bees

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they have put in place to reverse the decline of the United Kingdom's wild bees.

Lord De Mauley: This is a devolved matter. There are 17 species of bee in England (including five species of bumblebee) that are now very rare and are included on the revised list of threatened species under Section 41 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006. Natural England is leading work with partner bodies to identify actions to aid the recovery of these species, which forms part of the implementation plan for Biodiversity 2020-A strategy for England's wildlife and ecosystem services.
	One species of bumblebee (Bombus subterraneus), that had recently become extinct in the UK was re-introduced in May 2011 as part of Natural England's Species Recovery Programme (with the support of partners including: RSPB, Bumblebee Conservation Trust and Hymettus). Fifty queen bees were released at Dungeness in an important step to re-establish the species in the UK. This project will be monitored over the coming years.
	More widely, environmental stewardship (agri-environment) schemes in England include options designed to promote insect biodiversity on agricultural land. This includes various options to sow wild flower seed mixes on field margins and other areas to provide a nectar and pollen source for insects such as bees.
	Defra is also providing £2.5 million over five years (from 2010-11) towards the £10 million Insect Pollinators Initiative which is being jointly funded with the Scottish Government, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and Wellcome Trust. The initiative's projects are looking at different aspects of the decline of insect pollinators.
	Further, we have awarded £7.5 million to 12 nature improvement areas to become better places for wildlife, creating more and better-connected habitats, helping wildlife to thrive and adapt to climate change, and enhancing ecosystem services, including pollination. We have also invited applications for local nature partnership (LNP) status, and published an overview of the LNP role which includes taking a strategic view of what is needed locally to conserve nature and sustain ecosystem services.

Bees

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect the decline in the United Kingdom's bee populations to be stabilised and reversed.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they forecast that the decline of the United Kingdom's bees will be reversed by 2020.

Lord De Mauley: This is a devolved matter. HM Government recognise the importance of all pollinators, including bees, and their value to both food security and sustaining the natural environment. We are currently considering a range of evidence on the state of bees and other pollinators in order to determine what action is required.
	Although there has been a decline in the number of managed honey bee colonies since the 1950s due to a number of factors, this trend has been reversed in recent years as more beekeepers have taken up the craft. There are now over 28,000 beekeepers managing approximately 138,000 colonies in England and Wales registered on the Food and Environment Research Agency's National Bee Unit's voluntary BeeBase register, compared to 16,000 beekeepers managing 80,000 colonies in 2008.
	Bumblebee populations in the UK are thought to have declined by about 60% since 1970, with three species becoming extinct. However, there is little numerical data on the previous declines of individual species, and without knowing this it is difficult to say exactly how soon we can stop and reverse the declines of individual species. We are working hard to stabilise and reverse these declines.
	Current and developing work under the England Biodiversity Strategy is designed to ensure that the overall decline in our biodiversity (including bees) is halted and reversed by 2020. The plans to achieve this are still under development.

Benefits

The Lord Bishop of Ripon and Leeds: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their forecast of the impact on provision of childcare costs through the benefits and tax credits system of the extension in 2014 of free early education to 40% of two year-olds; and whether they plan to use any savings to extend entitlement to childcare through the benefits and tax credits system.

Lord Sassoon: The Government tax credits forecast approved by the Office for Budget Responsibility do not incorporate any adjustment for the extension of free early education to two year-olds from 2014. As no savings have been identified, there are no funds to reinvest.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord De Mauley on 22 October (WA 6-7), how in next summer's cull they will verify that the correct percentage of badgers has been culled in order to meet the 70% target.

Lord De Mauley: The number of badgers culled and the culling method used in each case will be recorded by the operators and be part of the licence returns to Natural England. During the pilots, there will also be independent monitoring of the effectiveness of badger control, in terms of the proportion of the population removed.
	As such, the Independent Expert Panel has recommended a genetic sampling approach using hair traps. The information collected will enable the panel to monitor the effectiveness of the cull.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of increased badger numbers in Somerset and Gloucester, whether local farmers will continue to fund the total cost of the proposed badger cull in those areas.

Lord De Mauley: The pilot badger cull policy is based on a cost-sharing approach with the farming industry. The industry will be responsible for the operational costs of delivering culling and Defra will bear the costs of licensing, monitoring and policing the policy.

Children: Child Protection

Lord Robertson of Port Ellen: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the Secretary of State for the Home Department will reply to the letter from Lord Robertson of Port Ellen of 24 July, concerning child protection.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Criminal Information (Lynne Featherstone) responded to Lord Robertson's letter on 4 September 2012. Another copy of this response has been sent to Lord Robertson.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their policy on police protection for medical researchers working on chronic fatigue syndrome and myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Criminal, violent or threatening behaviour towards anyone, including medical researchers, is not acceptable. Where there is a threat to individuals involved in medical research, it is a matter for the police to investigate and take the relevant action.

Civil Service: Secondments

Lord Adonis: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many senior civil servants at the Ministry of Justice are on secondment to companies or organisations in the United Kingdom; how many were seconded to such companies or organisations in 2011; and to which companies and organisations they are or were seconded.

Lord McNally: According to the information held centrally by the Ministry of Justice, as at 30 September 2012, 10 Ministry of Justice senior civil servants were on secondment to external companies or organisations in the United Kingdom. The details of these secondments are shown in Table 1 below:
	
		
			 Table 1 
			 Organisation Number of SCS secondees 
			 National Health Service 1 
			 Essex County Council 1 
			 Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority 2 
			 Legal Services Commission 4 
			 Olympic Delivery Authority 1 
			 "Catch 22" 1 
			 Total 10 
		
	
	The Ministry does not have complete information available centrally on the secondments of its senior civil servants to external organisations in 2011.

Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002

Baroness Scott of Needham Market: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to bring into force Section 156 of the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002.

Baroness Hanham: The Government are keeping the appropriateness of commencement of Section 156 of the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 (as amended) under review but is not convinced that additional regulation is called for at this time as it could ultimately increase costs for leaseholders.

Courts: Magistrates' Courts

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of local magistrates courts are manned by professional judges as opposed to lay magistrates; and whether they have any plans to increase that proportion.

Lord McNally: We do not collate data on the division of court work between district judges (Magistrates' Courts) and magistrates. There are no national plans to change the balance of work between magistrates and district judges; the decision to appoint a district judge is based on locally determined need. It is the Government's firm view that an appropriate balance of both magistrates and district judges (MC) is vital to run an effective and efficient justice system.

Crime: Domestic Violence

Baroness Uddin: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will ensure that police and crime commissioners and local authorities implement national strategies to prevent and eliminate domestic violence.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) will be democratically accountable for ensuring the policing needs of the community are met. They will have a general duty to regularly consult and involve the public, and have regard to the priorities of the community safety partnerships in their police area. Where it is identified as a priority, PCCs should have regard to local and national strategies to eliminate domestic violence.
	However, the Government have made clear the priority they attach to local services tackling domestic violence, and have ring-fenced nearly £40 million of funding for specialist local domestic and sexual violence support services until 2015.

Crime: Homicide

Lord Tebbit: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people have been killed in the United Kingdom since 1963 by persons previously convicted of homicide.

Lord McNally: The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) holds information on those persons convicted of homicide offences having previously been convicted of a homicide offence. This information is provided in the following table.
	However, the MoJ does not hold information centrally on the number of homicide victims associated with these crimes.
	The table shows the number of previous convictions for homicide by people convicted of homicide in each year from 2001 to 2011. Homicide includes among others, the offences of murder, manslaughter, infanticide, corporate manslaughter and causing death by dangerous and careless driving. See footnote 1 for all types of homicides.
	
		
			 Table: Number of previous convictions for homicide by people convicted of homicide(1) in each year from 2001 to 2011 
			 England and Wales 
			  Number of previous convictions 
			 Year Zero One Two 3+ All Offenders 
			 2001 875 8 0 0 883 
			 2002 940 4 0 0 944 
			 2003 860 3 0 0 863 
			 2004 983 5 2 0 990 
			 2005 1,008 8 0 0 1,016 
			 2006 940 10 0 0 950 
			 2007 940 8 0 0 948 
			 2008 992 7 0 0 999 
			 2009 1,003 3 0 0 1,006 
			 2010 1,033 7 1 0 1,041 
			 2011 928 13 1 0 942 
		
	
	Source: Police National Computer, Ministry of Justice
	(1) Homicide is defined by the following crimes and may include different crimes to other published data:
	Common Law Murder of persons aged 1 year or over
	Common Law Murder of infants under 1 year of age
	Common Law & Offences against the Person Act 1861 S.5;9; 10. Manslaughter
	Infanticide Act 1938. Infanticide
	Infant Life Preservation Act 1929. Child destruction
	Road Traffic Act 1988 Sec.! ( I ). As amended by the Road Traffic Act 1991 S.1 & CJA 1993 S.67 Causing death by dangerous driving
	Homicide Act 1957 Sec.2. Manslaughter, Diminished Responsibility
	Road Traffic Act 1988 Sect3 A. as added by the RTA 1991 S.3 & amended by CJA 1993 S.67. Causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs
	Cause/allow death of a child or vulnerable person. Domestic Violence, Crime & Victims Act 2004 S.5
	Causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving; Road Traffic Act 1988 S.2B as added by Road Safety Act S.20
	Causing death by driving: unlicensed, disqualified or uninsured drivers; Road Traffic Act 1988 S.3ZB as added by Road Safety Act S.21
	Corporate manslaughter / homicide
	Theft Act 1968 S.12A as added by the Aggravated Vehicle Taking Act 1992 S.1 - Aggravated taking where owing to the driving of the vehicle an accident occurs causing the death of any person
	These data are produced using the same data from table Q71 in Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly Update to December 2011 which was published on 24 May 2012. The full report can be found at the link http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/statistics/criminal-justice-stats/criminal-justice-stats-dec-2011.pdf.
	The figures given in the table have been drawn from the extract of Police National Computer (PNC) data held by the Ministry of Justice. As with any large scale recording system the PNC is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.

Deposit Guarantee Scheme

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much has been paid to HM Treasury under the Deposit Guarantee Scheme introduced in 2008; and how much has been paid in claims.

Lord Sassoon: The UK's Deposit Guarantee Scheme is operated by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).
	From 2008 until 31 March 2012, £4.3 billion had been recovered from the administration and wind-up of the failed banks and building societies. Of this, £2.4 billion has been used to reduce the FSCS's liability, £1.2 billion to reduce HM Treasury's liability, and £0.7 billion to reduce Iceland's liability.
	Information on how much has been paid out in claims and paid to the scheme in levies is available in the FSCS annual report and accounts. These reports are available on the FSCS website here: http://www. fscs.org.uk/industry/publications/annual-reports/
	Information on the allocation of liabilities and recoveries is available in HM Treasury's annual report and accounts. These are available on the HM Treasury website here: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/dep_perf _reports_index.htm.

Egypt

Lord Turnberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Government of Egypt about that country's position on the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel.

Lord Newby: The Prime Minister, my right honourable friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), met President Mursi on 26 September and they discussed relations with Israel. President Mursi confirmed Egypt's commitment to the peace treaty.

Elections: Police and Crime Commissioners

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether it is compulsory for electors to vote for a second preference candidate in the elections for police and crime commissioners; and, if not, why the ballot paper does not make it clear that a vote for only the first candidate is valid.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: It is not compulsory for electors to vote for a second preference candidate under the supplementary vote system which will be used for the Police and Crime Commissioner elections. The instructions on the ballot paper are consistent with those which are provided to voters for other supplementary vote elections in the UK, for example mayoral elections. The instructions are designed to be very short and simple, with further information provided in advance by the Electoral Commission and on the notices in the polling booth or on the postal voting statement. The Home Office undertook user testing of the ballot papers with members of the public, including people with language or literacy difficulties, to confirm they were easy to use.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Earl Howe on 23 June 2010 (WA 182-3) and Baroness Garden of Frognal on 5 November (WA 168), whether they regard pronuclear transfer as a form of somatic cell transfer; whether eggs provided to the Medical Research Council-funded study Improving the Efficiency of Human Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT) for the purposes of research into SCNT were used for research into pronuclear transfer; and whether it remains the case that gametes provided by patients for a particular project have not been authorised for use in separate research.

Lord Marland: The Government regard the technical procedures associated with somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) and pronuclear transfer (PNT) as biologically very distinct. However, they share a number of technical challenges, in the sense that both involve removal and transplantation of nuclear DNA.
	A defining feature of SCNT is that the resulting embryos are genetically identical to the person from whom the somatic cell is derived. By contrast, the genetic identity of a PNT embryo is unique to the sperm and egg from which the pronuclei are formed.
	A second feature of SCNT embryos is that the somatic cell DNA must be reprogrammed to revert to an embryonic pattern of gene expression. In the case of PNT, the DNA within the pronuclei is derived from the sperm and the egg, and is therefore already poised to embark on an embryonic pattern of gene expression.
	The technical similarities between the two procedures mean that lessons from PNT can inform SCNT research and vice versa. However, from a biological perspective, SCNT is more challenging than PNT.
	The research team at the University of Newcastle have not used any eggs provided under the Medical Research Council-funded study Improving the Efficiency of Human Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT) for the purposes of research into PNT.
	The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) is the UK's independent regulator overseeing the use of human gametes and embryos in fertility treatment and research. All research in this area is subject to ethical approval granted by the Local Research Ethics Committee and a licence granted by the HFEA. The HFEA have advised that on no occasion has it permitted embryos or gametes provided by patients for a particular research project to be used in separate research. The HFEA has advised me that this remains the case.

EU: Finance

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have discussed with other European Union member states the benefits of openness and transparency in dealing with the financial crisis affecting European Union citizens.

Lord Sassoon: The Government have regular discussions with other European Union member states on a wide variety of European issues including banking and transparency with regard to the financial crisis.

EU: Financial Assistance to Member States

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much they have (1) spent outright, and (2) provided in loans, in support of the euro; how much they have spent and loaned to support the economies of (a) Greece, (b) Portugal, (c) Italy, (d) Spain, (e) the Republic of Ireland, and (f) Cyprus; and how this compares with support for those economies by other European Union countries, the International Monetary Fund and others.

Lord Sassoon: I refer to the Answer provided on 8 November 2012 (HL2842) which sets out the UK's involvement in financial assistance packages to euro area member states.
	The status of the UK's bilateral loan to Ireland is set out in the most recent report provided under Section 2 of the Loans to Ireland Act 2010, laid before the House on 15 October 2012: http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/other/9781909096097/9781909096097.asp.
	The European Commission's website provides information on all financial assistance to EU member States: http://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/assistance_eu _ms/index_en.htm.

EU: Multiannual Financial Framework

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the comments by the Polish Minister of Regional Development, Elzbieta Bienkowska, on their approach to negotiations on the European Union multiannual financial framework.

Lord Sassoon: The Government monitor other member states' positions in their approaches to the negotiations on the European Union Budget and notes the Polish Minister of Regional Development's recent comments.

EU: Trade Agreements

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Davies of Abersoch on 9 December 2009 (WA 129-30), with how many countries the European Union has free trade agreements; and with how many it is negotiating such agreements.

Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint: At present, the European Union (EU) has free trade agreements (FTA) with four countries, namely: Chile, South Africa, Mexico, and South Korea. As part of the wider European Economic Area, the EU has adopted FTAs with Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland.
	Negotiations with Central America (comprising El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Panama), Andean Nations (comprising Peru and Columbia), and Ukraine have been concluded, and will be ratified in due course.
	Negotiations are ongoing with 10 countries or groups of countries, namely: Canada; India; Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Uruguay and Paraguay); Singapore; Malaysia; Vietnam; Moldova; Georgia; Armenia; and the Gulf Co-operation Council.
	Of those FTA negotiations, we are confident that agreements with Canada and Singapore will be finalised in the coming months. The Government are supportive of negotiations starting in 2013 with Japan, Thailand and the USA.

Government Departments: Coalition Agreement

Lord Ryder of Wensum: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress the Department of Energy and Climate Change has made since May 2010 in respect of commitments relevant to it in the coalition agreement.

Baroness Verma: DECC is committed to delivering the Government's agenda as set out in the coalition agreement. We, like other departments, have published our plans to implement the Government's agenda through our structural reform plans which detail the concrete steps this Government are taking to implement their agenda. DECC's business plan for 2012-15 was published on the department's website in May 2012 and sets out the programme of work the department plans to carry out over the next three years to support the Government's objectives, including the Structural Reform Plan. The Structural Reform Plan can also be viewed on No. 10's transparency website, which details information on the status of each action in the business plan as well as providing an explanation for any missed deadlines.
	To date, the department has completed 17 of the actions it has committed to, 20 remain in progress and 13 are yet to be started.

Government Departments: Coalition Agreement

Lord Ryder of Wensum: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has made since May 2010 in respect of commitments relevant to it in the coalition agreement.

Lord De Mauley: Core Defra continues to make strong progress towards delivery of its coalition agreement commitments.
	Many of the concrete steps Defra is undertaking to implement the coalition agreement are set out in the department's business plan. Since May 2010, Defra has delivered 86 commitments from its business plan, including:
	launching the first White Paper on the natural environment in 20 years, including new nature improvement areas to halt the loss of habitats and restore biodiversity;responding to the recommendations made by the Farming Regulation Task Force with 137 commitments to reduce regulatory burdens on the farming industry and food processors; and taking forward commitments from the water White Paper, Water for Life, including publication of a draft Water Bill to reform the water industry.
	A further 49 commitments remain to be completed in the department's 2012-15 business plan. Progress in delivering the plan can be tracked on the No. 10 Transparency website http://transparency.number 10.gov.uk.

Government Departments: Correspondence

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the average time taken to reply to letters sent to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs by (1) members of the House of Lords, (2) members of the House of Commons, and (3) members of the public, in each of the past five years.

Lord De Mauley: Figures for the average time taken for core Defra to reply to letters in the last five years are given in the table below:
	
		
			  2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 
			 Average number of working days taken to reply to letters: 
			 (1) from members of the House of Lords 16 18 19 12 15 
			 (2) from members of the House of Commons 13 15 14 11 12 
			 (3) from members of the public 7 8 9 8 8

Government Departments: Correspondence

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance is issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to its staff about responding to correspondence; and whether they will place a copy of that guidance in the Library of the House.

Lord De Mauley: Core Defra correspondence is handled centrally by a Customer Contact Unit (CCU), which seeks to answer at least 85% of correspondence within 15 working days. The following information about correspondence is published to all staff on the core Defra intranet:
	"The CCU aims to deliver the best possible service to Ministers, policy officials, MPs the public and Parliament by making constant improvements to our performance and ensuring a joined-up and consistent approach to handling correspondence, parliamentary questions and briefing".
	There is also guidance that staff should:
	"communicate clearly and write in plain English ensuring our replies are as polite and helpful as possible".

Government Departments: ICT

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many computers were (1) owned, and (2) leased, by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in (a) 2006, (b) 2007, (c) 2008, (d) 2009, (e) 2010, and (f) 2012.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many computers (1) owned, and (2) leased, by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs used (a) Microsoft, and (b) Apple, operating systems in (i) 2006, (ii) 2007, (iii) 2008, (iv) 2009, (v) 2010, and (vi) 2012.

Lord De Mauley: The number of computers leased and owned by core Defra, by operating system, at 30 September 2010 and 30 September 2012 is provided in the table below. The number of computers owned or leased by core Defra for 2006-09 could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 Years Owned Leased 
			  Microsoft Operating System Apple Operating System Microsoft Operating System Apple Operating System 
			 2010 0 2 2,981 0 
			 2012 0 2 2,675 0

Government Departments: Procurement

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance is issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to staff using the government procurement card.

Lord De Mauley: The Government procurement card (GPC) policy for core Defra has recently been reviewed.
	In summary the guidance is that GPCs should generally only be used for low value, one-off purchases to meet essential business needs, where items cannot be paid through invoicing.
	The revised policy was implemented on 1 November 2012.
	I will place a copy of the guidance in the Library of the House.

Government Departments: Staff

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what surveys of staff employed by the Department for Energy and Climate Change are conducted; at what cost; at what time of year; and whether they will place in the Library of the House the results of each such survey held in the department or its predecessor departments in each of the last five years.

Baroness Verma: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has conducted surveys of all its staff as part of the annual Civil Service People Survey since 2009. This survey is undertaken in October each year in order to track progress on priority areas and help identify further areas for action. The survey is administered through a contract owned and managed by the Cabinet Office, with costs shared between all departments. In 2011, DECC paid £8,948 as its contribution to the Civil Service Survey. The results of each of the surveys undertaken so far, have been published on our external website and can be viewed by following the hyperlink below: http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/accesstoin form/about_decc/about_decc.aspx.
	DECC also undertakes regular small in-house surveys on an ad hoc basis in order to assess staff views and its performance across specific targeted areas. The results of these surveys are reviewed and used by local management to inform future management decisions. These surveys are conducted using a software programme called Survey Monkey for an annual subscription of £300. This entitles DECC to conduct multiple surveys during the course of the subscription period.
	DECC will place a copy of the results of each of the Civil Service People Surveys since 2009 in the Library of the House.

Health: Human Papilloma Virus

The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty's Government what trials were conducted on the effects of human papilloma virus vaccines on male and female reproductive systems before the vaccines were approved for human use; and what were the results.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what surveillance has been conducted on the effects on the menstrual cycles of girls aged (1) 12 to 14, and (2) 15 to 18 of immunisation with human papilloma virus vaccine since the vaccine was introduced; and what were the results.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the reported finding that all human papilloma virus 16-L antigen from Gardasil vaccine crossed the blood/brain barrier and was found lodged in the brains of two girls.

Earl Howe: The human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccines Gardasil and Cervarix have been safely used for over six years in tens of millions of girls worldwide. Prior to licensing non-clinical studies found that both vaccines had no adverse effects on fertility, pregnancy, foetal and post-natal development. This is supported by extensive data from clinical studies involving females of child bearing age. Large long-term studies post licensure in tens of thousands of females covering a range of ages also found no evidence that the HPV vaccines cause menstrual cycle irregularities including amenorrhoea.
	Through the Yellow Card Scheme the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has received 11 spontaneous reports of amenorrhoea in association with HPV vaccine. A Yellow Card report is not proof of a side effect occurring, but only a suspicion of a possible link. Reported events may relate to underlying medical conditions or may be coincidental and would have occurred in the absence of vaccination.
	Amenorrhoea is a naturally occurring condition in adolescent girls. For every one million girls vaccinated, around 25 cases of premature ovarian failure are expected to occur by coincidence within three months of vaccination. With over 6 million females vaccinated with Cervarix in the United Kingdom, there is no evidence that menstrual cycle abnormalities are occurring following vaccination any more than expected by chance amongst vaccinated girls.
	The recent research by Tomljenovic and Shaw that suggests the presence of HPV-16-L1 antigen in the brain blood vessels of two girls vaccinated with Gardasil will be carefully evaluated. At present, the research is insufficient to establish a causal association between Gardasil vaccination and cerebral vasculitis. The MHRA will continue to keep the safety of HPV vaccines under close review.

Health: Medical Treatment Withdrawal

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make it a criminal offence for NHS employees to withhold medical treatment or care from patients on the ground of age.

Earl Howe: Decisions on medical treatment or care should be based on a thorough assessment of the individual's needs and circumstances. Judgments based on age must not be used as a substitute for an individual assessment of a person's needs. The Government introduced a ban on unjustifiable age discrimination from 1 October 2012. If a patient feels they have been unlawfully discriminated against because of their age they are now able to take individuals or organisations to court. Where liability is established compensation may be awarded. It is not, however, a criminal offence, and we are not currently considering making it such.

Higher Education: Overseas Students

Lord Turnberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of (1) European Union, and (2) non-European Union, immigrant students entering United Kingdom non-university institutes of education, including language schools, during the academic years starting in 2011 and 2012.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The department only collects information on government-funded learners (funded by the Skills Funding Agency and the Education Funding Agency) undertaking further education and skills training delivered in FE organisations, sixth form colleges, independent training organisations, local authorities and other providers.
	Privately funded education institutions in this country, such as language schools, operate as private businesses and, as such, are not required to register with the department which does not collect data on them.
	Government-funded learning, as recorded on the Individualised Learner Record (ILR) for further education, is restricted to home learners. Therefore funded learners who are non EEA (European Economic Area) nationals must have been resident in the UK for the three years preceding their course start date and the main purpose for residence must not have been to receive full-time education during any part of that three year period. There are a limited number of exceptions to this, for example, refugees, learners with indefinite leave to remain status, or learners studying under reciprocal exchange agreements.
	The table below shows the number of government-funded learners participating in further education and skills institutions (excluding schools) in England by country of domicile for 2005-06 to 2010-11, the latest years for which final data are available. Information on the nationality of learners in further education is not available. However, colleges do capture country of domicile information for funding purposes.
	
		
			 Table 1: Further Education and Skills Learner Participation by Country of Domicile, 2005-06 to 2010-11 
			 Country of Domicile 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 UK 4,066,800 3,244,160 3,574,700 4,002,100 3,834,400 3,496,900 
			 EU (excluding UK) 33,200 31,900 27,200 24,800 20,500 18,600 
			 Non EU 10,250 8,530 8,550 9,230 7,410 5,980 
			 Not Known 912,200 947,290 750,280 801,000 764,240 743,400 
			 Total 5,022,400 4,231,900 4,360,700 4,837,100 4,635,500 4,264,900 
		
	
	Source: Individualised Learner Record
	Notes
	1. These data include learning in the education and training, apprenticeship, workplace learning, community learning and university for industry funding streams.
	2. All figures are rounded to the nearest ten except totals which are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	3. EU countries are as defined at the start of the 2010-11 academic year.

House of Lords: Appointments

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Strathclyde on 7 November (WA 210), whether the Prime Minister intends to fulfil his commitment to ensure that the composition of the House of Lords reflects the share of votes secured by each political party at the most recent general election; and, if so, when.

Lord Strathclyde: It is the Government's continued intention that Lords appointments will be made with the objective of creating a second chamber that is reflective of the share of the vote secured by the political parties in the last general election.

Imports: Plants and Animals

Lord Higgins: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of recent cases of ash dieback disease in the United Kingdom, what steps they are taking to identify other risks arising from the importation of plants and animals.

Lord De Mauley: Defra's International Disease Monitoring Team and the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) constantly monitor new emerging or high impact animal diseases in the UK and across the world. When we become aware of a new animal disease outbreak in another country, we carry out an initial rapid assessment of the risk of introduction of that disease into the United Kingdom taking into account the level of trade from that region and any possible illegal movements. This helps inform risk-based activity of enforcement agencies.
	Should a new risk be identified, the Human Animal Infections and Risk Surveillance (HAIRS) group may also be involved in identifying whether an emerging disease may pose a threat to UK public health.
	The Secretary of State recently announced the establishment of an expert taskforce to review our strategic approach to plant health and to prevent pests and diseases from entering the country. We are also urgently bringing forward those actions in the Tree Health and Plant Biosecurity Action Plan particularly aimed at keeping out serious pests and pathogens not currently present in the UK.

Israel and Palestine

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Government of Israel about that country's exercise of its responsibilities under the Geneva Convention for the welfare of those under its occupation, and in particular about Israel bearing the cost of meeting those responsibilities.

Lord Newby: Our officials in Israel hold frequent and high level discussions with the Israeli authorities regarding the welfare of the Palestinian population of the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs), though not specifically with reference to the Geneva Convention. We have not raised the issue of Israeli responsibilities regarding the costs of maintaining the welfare of the local population of the OPTs but have frequently encouraged the Israelis to facilitate the speedy clearance of revenue transfers to the Palestinian Authority.

Justice: Youth Courts

Lord Hoyle: To ask Her Majesty's Government, since the closure of the youth courts in south-west Lancashire on 1 July, how many cases from the south Ribble and Chorley areas have been heard at (1) Preston, and (2) Ormskirk, youth courts.

Lord McNally: This information is not available centrally and could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost as it would need a manual trawl of the court files. Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunal Service will however undertake an exercise to collect this information on cases currently going through the court system for a three-month period.

Justice: Youth Courts

Lord Hoyle: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many cases from Ormskirk have been listed at Ormskirk Youth Court on each date of sitting since the closure of youth courts in south-west Lancashire on 1 July; and how many cases from Chorley or South Ribble have been listed each day for the same period.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many cases from Preston have been listed at Preston Youth Court each day since 1 July.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many youth cases which originated from Chorley, South Ribble and Ormskirk Magistrates' Courts have been listed on each day since 1 July.

Lord McNally: This information is not available centrally and could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost as it would need a manual trawl of the court files.

Lebanon

Lord Turnberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the potential impact, and likelihood, of any transfer of chemical weapons or missiles from Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Lord Newby: We are concerned by reports of continued transfers of conventional weapons to Hizballah in Lebanon, including Hizballah's own claims that it possesses significant military capabilities. Any such transfers would be in violation of UN Security Council resolution 1701 and would pose a threat to Lebanese and regional stability.
	The UK is closely monitoring all aspects of the current situation in Syria. We are working with international partners and countries neighbouring Syria to improve border controls to reduce the risk of weapons proliferating to third parties. We have made clear to President Assad, directly and through other parties, that any use or proliferation of chemical and biological weapons would be completely unacceptable. The security of Syria's chemical and biological weapons is a priority. We will work with the international community to ensure they are secured during any transition, and are destroyed if and when it is possible to do so.

National Association of Pension Funds

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will assist the National Association of Pension Funds in order to increase the amount the Association secures from members to invest in Treasury-sponsored long-term infrastructure projects.

Lord Sassoon: The Department for Communities and Local Government recently launched the Local Government Pension Scheme: Investment in Partnerships Consultation. This consultation is seeking views by 18 December on whether local authority pension schemes should be allowed to increase the amount they invest in infrastructure assets.

National Crime Agency

Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will make available the Framework document for the National Crime Agency.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: As my noble friend Lord Henley indicated to Peers during the House of Lords Committee hearings on the Crime and Courts Bill, on 20 June 2012 (Official Report, cols. 1781-82) the Government aim to share an outline version of the National Crime Agency (NCA) Framework Document with members of both Houses of Parliament in advance of the House of Lords Report debates on that Bill, which are due to start on 27 November 2012.The final NCA Framework Document will be published and laid before Parliament in due course, following Royal Assent to the Crime and Courts Bill and subject to the consultation requirements set out in that Bill.

National Insurance

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether employers based in the Channel Islands of teachers working in the United Kingdom are required to (1) pay employer national insurance contributions, and (2) collect income tax and employee national insurance contributions; and, if not; how those are paid; and whether superannuation contributions are collected and passed to the Teachers' Pension Scheme; and, if not, why not.

Lord Sassoon: Employers, based in the Channel Islands, of teachers in the UK are required to pay employer national insurance contributions (NICs) and collect income tax and employee NICs if they are present, resident or have a place of business in the UK.
	If an employer outside the UK with no presence, residence or place of business in the UK, makes their employees available to a person or business here in the UK, the Social Security (Categorisation of Earners) Regulations 1978 treat the UK person or business as the employer and that person in the UK is liable for secondary employer national insurance and to deduct primary employee national insurance and income tax. This arises most commonly where a UK company is supplied with workers by a foreign agency or loaned employees from a foreign company.

National Insurance

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 22 October (WA 28-9), why there is a difference between the estimate of 27,000 Romanians entering the United Kingdom in the four years from 2007-2010 and the figure of 81,630 adult Romanians registering for national insurance numbers in those years; which of those figures was used in annual net migration statistics for their migration target purposes; and whether they will review the efficacy of the International Passenger Survey as their preferred immigration measure.

Lord Newby: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, Director General for ONS, to Lord Laird, dated November 2012.
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to respond to your Parliamentary Question to Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 22 October (WA 28-9), why there is a difference between the estimate of 27,000 Romanians entering the United Kingdom in the four years from 2007-2010 and the figure of 81,630 adult Romanians registering for national insurance numbers in those years; which of those figures was used in annual net migration statistics for their migration target purposes; and whether they will review the efficacy of the International Passenger Survey as their preferred immigration measure. (HL3124)
	ONS uses data from the International Passenger Survey (IPS) to estimate long-term international migration (LTIM), with adjustments made for asylum seekers, people whose intentions change with regards to their length of stay, and migration to and from Northern Ireland. LTIM estimates adhere to the UN definition of a long-term international migrant, which states that a long-term migrant is a person who changes his or her country of usual residence for a period of at least a year.
	There are several reasons why the figures for Romanian nationals derived from the IPS differ from figures on those registering for national insurance numbers (NINos):
	NINos are compulsory for all migrants intending to work, regardless of the duration of their stay, so will include short-term migrants staying in the UK for less than 12 months, who are excluded from LTIM estimates;NINo allocations do not necessarily reflect a recent move to the UK, as an overseas national may already have been in the UK for several years (for example as a student or a dependent) before they decide to seek employment; andpeople who have been allocated a NINo may have subsequently left the UK. They will still be included in NINo figures, but not in net migration estimates.
	The figure of 27,000 is the inflow of Romanian citizens, which coupled with the emigration figure of 4,000 for the years 2007-10 was part of the annual net migration statistics produced by ONS. This is the data the Home Office use for net migration targets.
	At the national level, IPS estimates are considered very reliable. However, in common with all sample surveys, the reliability decreases as estimates are calculated for lower levels of detail, for example by geography, age, sex or nationality. This applies when IPS data are used to calculate estimates of small groups of migrants. ONS publish confidence intervals alongside these estimates. These intervals refer to the margin of error, and are a measure of uncertainty associated with making inferences from a sample. In the case of Romanian nationals, the confidence intervals indicate that inflow was between 19,000 and 35,000 in the years 2007 to 2010.
	ONS have made an assessment of the different sources of data on international migration and published a report, available at the following link: http://www.ons. gov.uk/ons/rel/migration1/population-by-country-of-birth-and-nationality/sources-of-international-migration-data/differences-between-sources-of-international-migration-data.pdf.
	ONS concluded that the International Passenger Survey (IPS) is currently the most appropriate source for the calculation of long-term international migration based on the UN definition.
	Improvements have been made to the IPS as part of the Migration Statistics Improvement Programme, in response to the National Statistician's Task Force on Migration. Several changes were introduced to the IPS design in 2009 to reflect changing patterns of migration to and from the UK. These included changes to the sampling at regional airports and have led to more robust and timely estimates of international migration at both the national and regional level.

Peacebuilding Funds

Baroness Hamwee: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in the light of the United Nations recommendation that 15% of all peacebuilding funds should be directed towards supporting women's rights and participation in peacebuilding, they will consider disaggregating data on spending totals to the level of detail necessary to demonstrate how much is spent on such rights and participation.

Baroness Northover: DfID follows internationally agreed formats for reporting official development assistance (ODA) as required by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). This format uses codes which allow DfID to report how much funding goes to gender issues, including activities related to women's rights and peacebuilding separately, but does not allow funding to peacebuilding to be disaggregated further to peacebuilding and women's rights and participation. DfID will continue to follow the agreed OECD reporting requirements. However, DfID has committed to provide £55 million to the United Nations (UN) Peacebuilding Fund between 2011 and 2015. In 2011 the UN Peacebuilding Fund started an initiative to ensure that 15% of its funds are spent on peacebuilding and women's rights and empowerment.

Pensions

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will review the statutory funding objective and the statement of funding principles in Sections 222 and 223 of the Pensions Act 2004 in relation to the calculation of technical provisions in the Occupational Pension Schemes (Scheme Funding) Regulations (SI 2005/3377); and to which public sector pension schemes those sections do not apply.

Lord Freud: Sections 222 and 223 of the Pensions Act 2004, and the Scheme Funding Regulations 2005, contain scheme funding requirements which apply to most private sector defined benefit occupational pension schemes. These requirements do not generally apply to funded public sector pensions schemes. We continue to monitor the effectiveness of these provisions on an ongoing basis, but we have no current plans to amend them.

Post-2015 Development Agenda

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with other Governments on the inclusion of peacebuilding in the post-2015 development framework.

Baroness Northover: In his role as co-chair of the High Level Panel, the Prime Minister has set out that he is keen to establish a new agenda to put in place the building blocks of development, including in fragile and conflict-affected states which face particular peace and security challenges.
	The High Level Panel on the post-2015 framework held its second meeting in London on the 1 and 2 November. Ahead of the main panel meeting in London, the UK hosted a day of seminars for panel members. This included discussions on personal security.
	We are keen to hear the voices from developing countries in particular and are consulting stakeholders from the G7+ group of fragile states through the International Dialogue on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding.
	The UK will participate further in international fora where the integration of peacebuilding into a post-2015 framework is on the agenda. These include the OECD's International Network on Conflict and Fragility later this month and meetings of the International Dialogue on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding in December.

Protection of Freedoms Act 2012

Lord Selsdon: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish the code of practice on powers of entry, as set out in the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: We are currently finalising a draft code of practice on powers of entry and will consult on it early in the new year.

Public Health

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Public Health has been disbanded.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The Public Health Sub-Committee made an important contribution to the good progress that has been made in public health policy issues so far, in particular the development of the Public Health Outcomes Framework, Public health issues will now be mainstreamed into the broader domestic policy committees rather than sitting with a separate sub-committee. This will enable public health issues to be discussed and public health policy decisions to be taken by a wider group of Ministers from across Government.

Regional Growth Fund

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many of the regional growth fund winners in rounds 1 and 2 are still waiting for their funds.

Lord Marland: We now have an agreed position with nine out of 10 bids. However, 61 projects and programmes from rounds 1 and 2 of the regional growth fund have not signed final offer letters: of these, for example, some are in the process of completing due diligence reports or are in correspondence with us about their conditional offer. Our priority is to agree a way forward with these final bidders before Christmas.

Regional Growth Fund

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many winning bidders have withdrawn from the regional growth fund.

Lord Marland: There are 30 bidders from round 1 and 2 that have withdrawn from the regional growth fund (RGF): two bids that were selected for round 3 have decided not to proceed. For a fund of this size, the number of withdrawals is low and is evidence of the robustness of the RGF process, which is a point the NAO highlighted in their report in spring 2012.

Schools: Buildings and Land

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the current guidance to local authorities regarding the disposal of school buildings.

Lord Hill of Oareford: The disposal of local authority held school land-which includes buildings situated on that land-is controlled through legislation. Schedule 1 to the Academies Act 2010 (as substituted) and Section 77 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 (as amended) contain mechanisms requiring any local authority wishing to dispose of publicly funded school land to seek the consent of the Secretary of State before it may do so. The department also publishes non statutory advice documents on the transfer of local authority land to academies, and has recently published revised departmental advice on the protection of playing fields and the sale of publicly funded school land. This can be found on the department's website at: www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/schoolscapital/a0010907/sale-of-school-land.

Taxation: Non-domiciled Taxpayers

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of United Kingdom residents (1) entitled to claim non-domiciled status for tax purposes, and (2) paying the non-domiciled flat rate charge; how many taxpayers paid the non-domiciled flat rate charge; and how much was raised, for each year for which figures are available.

Lord Sassoon: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) only holds information on those individuals who are required to declare their domicile status because it is relevant to their tax affairs. HMRC do not hold any estimates for the number of individuals who are entitled to claim to be non-domiciled but choose not to do so.
	The annual remittance basis charge of £30,000 was introduced with effect from the 2008-09 tax year when it was paid by 5,410 individuals, giving an Exchequer yield of £162 million. In the 2009-10 tax year, 5,100 individuals paid the charge, with a yield of £153 million.

Trees: Chalara Fraxinea

Lord Willoughby de Broke: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord de Mauley on 7 November (HL2995), why the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs did not impose immediate quarantine restrictions on the nursery in Buckinghamshire where the symptoms of ash dieback fungus had been confirmed.

Lord De Mauley: Ash plants with unrecognised symptoms were found in a routine inspection. Given suspicion about the presence of a harmful organism the nursery agreed voluntarily to hold the plants. None was moved from the nursery prior to confirmation that the plants were infected with Chalara fraxinea. Once this confirmation was given the plants were destroyed.

Trees: Chalara Fraxinea

Lord Willoughby de Broke: To ask Her Majesty's Government why, following confirmation of ash dieback fungus at a nursery in Buckinghamshire on 7 March, Ministers were not informed of the finding until 3 April.

Lord De Mauley: The finding of Chalara fraxinea was confirmed at one location in a consignment of recently imported plants, with no reason to believe that this was anything other than an isolated incident, requiring trace forward and action to destroy any potentially infected plants that had been circulated. The recent confirmation of findings of C. fraxinea in the wider environment have not been linked to this particular case, which involved young plants only recently circulated to customers. Many interceptions of imported plants and plant products are made each month involving unregulated, as well as regulated, organisms. Statutory action is taken regularly against such potentially damaging pests and pathogens and it is not normal practice to inform Ministers immediately about all such incidents. Any potentially significant issues are reported through a monthly update to Ministers on plant health issues and in the case of this particular interception, this was the mechanism used to inform Ministers.

Trees: Chalara Fraxinea

Lord Willoughby de Broke: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the name and address of the nursery in Buckinghamshire where the first incidence of Chalara fraxinea ash dieback disease was confirmed.

Lord De Mauley: We do not release details of premises because of commercial confidentiality.
	Plant Health and Seeds Inspectors work closely with nurseries and need their co-operation in tracing forward plants which have been supplied by the nursery in order to take any action required at the delivery sites. Such co-operation could be jeopardised by the publication of nursery names and addresses and the resulting publicity. In the case of the Buckinghamshire nursery inspectors have followed up all the deliveries and have required destruction of the trees supplied.

Trees: Imports

Lord Framlingham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have completely banned the import of ash trees from Europe; and, if so, when that ban came into effect; how long it will last; and on what legal basis it is being implemented.

Lord De Mauley: New requirements on the import of ash trees came into force on 29 October under the Plant Health (Forestry) (Amendment) Order 2012, with equivalent legislation in Northern Ireland. The legislation restricts imports of ash trees to those from pest free areas established in accordance with standards agreed under the International Plant Protection Convention. No such pest free areas have been designated, which means that no imports of ash trees can take place.
	The legislation was introduced in accordance with Article 16.2 of the EU Plant Health Directive (2000/29/EC) and will be considered by the European Commission's Plant Health Standing Committee to determine if measures should be introduced in EU Plant Health legislation. The European Commission will determine the timing of that process but, in any case, the UK legislation will be kept under review in light of emerging developments and the outcome of a disease control strategy, which is currently under preparation. No decisions have been made about the duration of the ban; it is an emergency measure to prevent further introduction of infected stock.

Trees: Imports

Lord Framlingham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ban the import from Europe of tree species affected by new diseases.

Lord De Mauley: We are urgently bringing forward actions in the Tree Health Action Plan aimed at keeping out serious pests and pathogens not present in the UK. These include a review of our protected zone status under the EU Plant Health Directive, to determine if additional protection is needed in relation to specific tree health threats. The Secretary of State has asked his chief scientific adviser to set up a task force to carry out a rapid review of our strategic approach to threats to tree health, and recommend further ways to reduce the risk from plant pests and diseases entering the country.

United Arab Emirates

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have plans to station United Kingdom military aircraft in or in the vicinity of the United Arab Emirates; and, if so, for what purpose.

Lord Astor of Hever: We regularly deploy military aircraft to air bases in the United Arab Emirates as part of our routine exercise programme.

Universal Credit

Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the original estimated cost of the universal credit information technology project; and what is the current estimate.

Lord Freud: The 2010 spending review settlement included funding of £2 billion for the period 2011-12 to 2014-15. This is intended to meet all the costs of introducing universal credit including any increases in benefit expenditure, additional benefit administration costs in the transition period, the costs of IT development and implementation, communications, staff training and programme management.
	The department spent £103 million in 2011-12 and is estimating on current plans to spend a total of £345 million in 2012-13, £495 million in 2013-14 and £1,030 million in 2014-15.

Universal Credit

Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assistance will be available to people receiving universal credit if their payments are wrong as a result of their employer failing to notify HM Revenue and Customs of their pay and tax details by the prescribed date each month.

Lord Freud: Information about employed earnings will be reported to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) via the real time information (RTI) system wherever possible. This will ease the reporting burden on claimants. If earnings are not reported through RTI for any reason, claimants will be requested to declare their earnings to DWP through the universal credit interface.

Young Offenders: Employment and Training

Lord Quirk: To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the average hours per person per week devoted to education and training in each of the past 10 years for inmates of young offender institutions in (1) the public sector, and (2) the private sector.

Lord McNally: The figures requested are available for the nine years 2003-04 to 2011-12 and are set out in the table below.
	
		
			 Table: Education and training: average hours per prisoner per week in young offender institutions in England and Wales 
			  Public Sector  Private Sector  
			  Young Adult YOI Under 18 YOI Young Adult YOI Under 18 YOI 
			 2003-04 10.5 14.6 - 15.3 
			 2004-05 10.8 14.2 - 18.3 
			 2005-06 10.8 16.1 - 17.1 
			 2006-07 10.7 15.8 - 18.3 
			 2007-08 10.9 18.0 - 20.6 
			 2008-09 11.4 19.2 - 23.8 
			 2009-10 11.5 19.9 - 23.0 
			 2010-11 9.8 17.0 - 18.5 
			 2011-12 11.2 17.7 - 18.7 
		
	
	Comparable figures are unavailable for 2002-03.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	The figures relate to young offender institutions (YOIs) whose primary function is to hold young adults aged 18-20 or young people aged 15-17. Data for establishments which have a dual function as an adult prison and YOI are not included in the above figures because the data are collected at whole-establishment level and not disaggregated between functions.
	The difference in the number of education and training hours between under 18 YOIs and Young Adult YOIs can be attributed to the greater focus on education within under 18 YOIs. Young Adult YOIs make greater provision for work activities.
	The figures do not include any vocational training as it is not possible to separate this out from work activities. This is particularly pertinent when looking at the education and training delivery in the public sector under-18 estate.
	A number of establishments re-roled within the period covered by the reply, meaning that the establishments in each category will not be consistent throughout. Caution should therefore be exercised when comparing years.
	The private sector under-18 YOI figures relate to only one establishment, Ashfield.